Cardiac Enzyme Studies: What To Think About
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What To Think About
- Cardiac enzyme and protein levels must always be compared with your symptoms, medical history, physical examination, and electrocardiography (EKG, ECG) results.
- Troponin is an accurate method for quickly diagnosing heart attack, but because it takes up to 6 hours for the troponin level to rise, it can be low or negative at first. Troponin is more specific to heart muscle and remains in the bloodstream longer than CPK.
- CPK-MB, which is found in large amounts in damaged heart muscle, is a more specific way to estimate the amount of heart muscle damage than total CPK. The total CPK enzyme level can be elevated from vigorous exercise, intramuscular injections, crush injuries to muscles, muscular dystrophy, or muscle inflammation.
- Another protein, myoglobin, may be tested along with cardiac enzymes to diagnose a heart attack.
| Last updated: | September 13, 2007 |
|---|---|
| Author: | Robin Parks, MS |
| Reviewed By: | E. Gregory Thompson, MD - Internal Medicine, Stephen Fort, MD, MRCP, FRCPC - Interventional Cardiology |
| Editors: | Susan Van Houten, RN, BSN, MBA, Tracy Landauer |
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